
Last week was a hellish week with Patch. She seemed to start suffering from waves of pain. At this point she was still having painkillers but they didn’t seem to be helping. Patch had also started with a worrying eye flicker. She was taken to the vets & a thorough examination was given. Her leg seemed to be all good which was good news, as for the pain it was thought she may have started with an infection. Her eyes were examined & the eye flicking was still there. It was suggested that Patch might have E. Cuniculi which was quite devastating to think she may have that after all that she has been through. She was put on antibiotics & has to have Panacur, a rabbit wormer, for 30 days just in case it is E. Cuniculi. A strong painkiller was given just to give her some respite from any pain & hopefully help the pain get back under control.
That evening as her medication was being given she accidentally snagged her metalwork on one of us. It was a heart stopping moment as we examined her leg to see what had happened. The putty on one end of the metal work had broken free. To say we both nearly had heart attacks was an understatement.
After a restless nights sleep she was back at the vets the following morning. After an examination by the vet it was looking like nothing too serious had been done but we couldn’t be sure. Patch was due an X- ray anytime soon so it was decided to get it done that day. We could then check to see if anything had been damaged by the snagging, if new growth was occurring & a full X-ray of her was going to be taken so we could check out her heart & chest. This was because right from the beginning of her recovery she has moments of very fast breathing. I left Patch feeling like it was make or break.
After an anxious morning the results were in. Everything was good news, in fact we couldn’t have hoped to be in a better place. Her leg is all in the same place as it was after the op, amazingly there has been regrowth on her broken leg so it is starting to knit together, her heart is good & the chest looks ok. I also asked about the eye flicking & she is showing no signs of it. I did notice the eye flicking stopped after her strong painkiller. It could just be coincidence as there is no evidence to suggest strong painkillers help with eye flicking. The other unusual thing is that eye flicking doesn’t usually just stop, so that is a bit of a puzzle, but as long as it’s stopped then that can only be good news.

Currently, Patch is doing really well although I am having to monitor her very closely. She is still on antibiotics, painkiller & Panacur. I am having to keep her interested in food & give her different confined environments to make sure she is moving around. If she doesn’t get up & move there is a real risk of gut stasis starting & that is a complication we don’t need. She also needs to use her leg a certain amount & she needs the stimulation mentally. In 2 weeks time, she is back at the vets for an assessment & it is possible she may have the metal framework removed.